10 Years of Oregon Duck Non-Conference Magic
To celebrate the coming Oregon football season and the huge pre-season game against LSU on the 3rd of September, I put together a list with some video and article links highlighting some of Oregon’s biggest pre-season wins over the past 10 years. GO DUCKS!!!!!!
September 1st, 2001: Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Ranked No. 7 going into this season the Ducks were ready for the Badgers. The game went back and forth a few times with Oregon coming out with the 31 – 28 victory. This win would be the start of a 6 – 0 winning streak and an 11 – 1 finish for the season that put us No. 2 in the nation and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.
September 7th, 2002: Oregon vs. Fresno State
Fresno State makes this list twice and this one was on the Ducks’ home turf. It was a comeback victory for the Ducks and contributed to a 6 – 0 season start for the Ducks and appearance in the Seattle bowl. This video comes from a Fresno State fan so some complaints about the refs are included.
August 30th, 2003: Oregon vs. Mississippi State
This was the season opener for the Ducks 2003/04 season and it was the start of a 4 – 0 winning streak that year. Away from Autzen, the Ducks gained some national attention by playing and winning this game against a SEC team. A month later the Ducks would beat Michigan at Autzen Stadium.
ESPN recap of Oregon vs. Mississippi State
September 20th, 2003: Oregon vs. Michigan
Michigan shows up twice on our list, but the first mention was played in 2003. This was a huge turning point in Duck football. Oregon was gaining some national respect and Michigan was going to be a true test of that respect, coming into Autzen Stadium. Oregon took away the 31 – 27 victory after a failed Michigan comeback and ended the season with an 8 -5 record and a Sun Bowl appearance. This was the year before I graduated U of O so I was lucky enough to experience this in the student section at Autzen – one of the loudest games I’ve been to there.
Oregon vs. Michigan 2003 crowd reaction
September 17th, 2005: Oregon vs. Fresno State
The Ducks had blown through their first two games during the 2005/06 season and were facing the Bulldogs at home next. Down by a staggering 17 point deficit, Oregon rallied and came back to win the game 37 to 34. That year the Ducks went to the Holiday Bowl for post-season play.
September 16th, 2006: Oregon vs. Oklahoma
One of the most controversial games over the last few years, Oregon came out victorious over Oklahoma, 34 – 33, after an intense comeback late in the 4th quarter. Never before have I experienced that kind of energy in Autzen Stadium – it was absolutely electric. There wasn’t anything special about the rest of this season for the Ducks, but this game is one that is hard to forget. The video isn’t the best to see the action on the field but it does give you a glimpse of the excitement during those last few minutes.
September 8th, 2007: Oregon vs. Michigan
Michigan was coming into this game with a huge loss to Appalachian State and both teams were coming into this game unranked. Oregon took control of the game initially leading by 25 points at halftime and it just got worse for Michigan from there. Oregon destroyed Michigan 39 – 7 and went on to finish their season at the Sun Bowl.
September 13th, 2008: Oregon vs. Purdue
Another comeback for Oregon, this time away from their home turf, the Ducks managed to recover from a 20 – 6 deficit. After two overtimes they were able to get the 32 – 26 victory and finish the season 10 – 2 for another appearance at the Holiday Bowl.
September 19th, 2009: Oregon vs. Utah
The Ducks lost their season opener in 2009 against Boise State but the season wasn’t a lost cause by any means. After beating Utah at home 31 – 24 Oregon went on win the Pac-10 and made an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
LSU vs. Oregon; September 3rd 2011
Go DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!